I’m frequently asked to guest post on other marketing/travel sites around the world. Recently, Stephanie Bates of Military Travel Mama asked me for a quote.

Stephanie has a booming blog and I wanted to return the favor. Enjoy Stephanie’s post on strengthening your family with outdoor activities.

Family Vacation: Strengthen Your Family’s Relationship With These Outdoors Activities

Having your kids around during the day may seem like a heavy burden for some parents when their kids are little. However, it’s just those little things that you crave for after some time passes and your kids slowly begin to move away from you and to live their own everyday lives away from your eyes.  

Fostering family bonds even when you have grown teenagers is tough, but absolutely doable.

Being a mother of 2 teenagers myself, I speak from first-hand experience. I’m a full-blooded military mommy which is also worth noting. Being a military mommy meant that I had a pleasure of staying at home during the early childhood and being there for my kids.

Nowadays, I find myself having so much free time since my children have already grown enough to entertain themselves. And that’s fine. It’s just that sometimes I get a little bit too lonely and afraid that we will move away from each other too much.

That’s when planning a family vacation and all those sweet weekend family getaways come into play!

Benefits of Traveling Together

The most important part in strengthening your family ties is to create memories. When the time passes, all those photographs and things you did together is what will act as a safe haven to each one of you and you’ll always reminisce on those with a snigger on your face.  

Don’t miss those!

I know how my husband hates to be photographed. There is no way that I won’t be taking pictures of those moments when we visited places and spend a beautiful time together.

Make sure to always have a camera ready by your side and be the ‘’boring one’’ in the group that always takes photos in (in)appropriate situations.

Do Something Fun Together!

Thoroughly planning a trip was always a must in my family. And it can actually be a lot of fun, I tell you!

Interesting things won’t fall out of the blue. Choosing a destination for your trip and booking accommodation and transport is just the beginning.

If you know where your family will spend their vacation, make sure to research what attractions and fun things can be seen or done in the close vicinity.

Be considerate about what could be interesting to your kids and to you at the same time. For instance, if you are blessed with two imps that are extreme sports lovers at the same time, ziplining may sound like a good idea, no matter how dangerous it might sound to you.

Go for the Prize!

Being a family deeply rooted in military practices and routines, it’s hard for my boys not to get competitive when they have a chance to. Although it’s getting harder and harder for me and my husband to keep up with them, these types of family reunions are always an excellent chance for competitive sports like tennis, running, swimming…

My husband and I have this interesting hobby of ordering a military challenge coin for these occasions. Winner takes it all and he gets to win the coin which will always remind him of his victories while we were on vacation.

While it may sound a little nutty to some of you, it’s what works for my family. Bottom line is, everyone should find what clicks for their families and should stick to that.

Thanks to Stephanie Bates, MilitaryTravelMama.com.

Hopefully Stephanie and family will visit the Broken Bow Lake/Beavers Bend State Park area soon!